On Tuesday the 19th April 2016,I set off to Meet Dan at Peppers Green. Here we left a car and drove to the start of the walk at Chipping Ongar.
'Chipping' means "Market", 'Ongar' means "Wooden slope".
We popped into St Martins Church. Back in January we didn't visit due to boots covered in mud.
St Martins Church dedicated to a Roman Soldier who became a Christian
bishop. Built in 1080 out of flint rubble. In the north wall is a
ankar-hold, a hole where a hermit could take part in the service without
being seen.
We left and walked past Castle Farm. Up ahead was a Essex P.C.S.O, no doubt having a sneaky fag out of sight.
We passed a playground, I say passed we actually stopped to have a race on the zipwires !
We continued along the path and through some farmland.
We cross the A414 and now walk alongside the River Roding for a few miles.
The River Roding is a river in England that rises near Dunmow, flows through Essex and forms Barking Creek as it reaches the River Thames. Before 1965, the river was entirely in Essex.
We met a couple walking their dogs, who said" Ah so you're walking the old Essex Way route then?"
Apparently they rerouted the walk away from the river last year. But hey its so much nicer by the river, so we continued. They attempted to halt our way with a pole blocking a bridge. No match for two flexible chaps like us!
Thankfully we didn't need to use this bridge. Although Dan couldn't resist it!
The river bubbled along its path, I looked into its clear waters and its streamer weed. But alas I did not see a fish along the whole stretch . The chub and dace were clearly elusive!
We reach Tun Bridge where we cross the Roding.
We now approach Cannons Green via farmland.
Off to our left we can see
Fyfield and its church. Unfortunately the path doesn't go through Fyfield. Bet there was a pub there too! Reading on the web we missed
The Queens Head a 15th century pub!
There's also a watermill there which the Roding runs through, another walk in the making I fear!
At Cannons Green we pass a Thatched Caravan, that's a novelty!
We walk along the road for a bit past some lovely houses before turning into a field on our right.
 |
| Views to Fyfield |
To our right was the old Chipping Ongar/Willingale Airfield. Between June 1943 and July 1944 Willingale was home to 2000 American airforce personnel attached to the
387th Bombardment group which flew Marauder operations against targets in occupied France. By 1959 the airfield had reverted back to farmland.
You can just imagine the roar of the engines, as the sirens roar and the airmen run to their planes. But All is silent now except for the song of a blue tit.
We emerge out onto Willingale Road and past some more lovely houses.
We turn right onto a grassy path that leads to a field of gold. The smell of the
Rapeseed fills the air, they smell sensational, a sort of dense, honeyed, mustardy, oily, deeply musky scent.
Now in the distance we head towards the two churches of Willingale.
Willingale is unique in Essex for having two churches in one churchyard - St Andrew's and St Christopher's. One popular local legend tells how the whole of the village lands were held by two sisters, who fell out one day over where they sat in their pew. One sister determined never to sit near the other again, so being very rich, she built her own church next door. The dale is undermined somewhat by the fact there is 200 years age difference between the churches. The churches were actually built in two separate parishes, Willingale Doe and Willingale,Spain. The Essex Way now plows on between them.
 |
| St Christopher's |
The Church of Willingale Doe is dedicated to St. Christopher. This is
now the Parish Church of Willingale. The Chancel & Nave were built
about 1320, about the Middle of the 15th Century the Tower and South
Porch were added.
We sat on the bench between the two and had a cup of tea. It was so silent here except for the occasional passing car. The sun was beaming, the smell of rapeseed mingling with the daffodils scent. Birds singing away in the trees, for a while everything was good in the world. I would be content to stay here for sometime. However time presses on and we still had the rest of the walk to finish. So we set about visiting the two churches.
 |
| St Andrew's |
St Andrew's. The nave dates from the 12th century, and the chancel from the 15th century. During the 19th century the church was restored, and a porch and a vestry were added.
The real reason is probably found in the names of the parishes: Spain
& Doe. Harvey D’Espania built Spains Hall and the Church of
Willingale Spain, giving his name to the parish, in the 12th Century. In
the 14th Century the D’ou family came to live in Willingale. Around
this time the wool industry was flourishing in Essex, and the population
greatly increased. The existing church was too small to accommodate the
increased number of worshippers, and rather than pull down the old
church and replace it with a new one, a second church was built next to
the original. The two churches are now united into one parish, the
parish of Willingale. Until 1929 they were separate and quite distinct,
each with its own rector.
The church had a display dedicated to the crew of Willingale airfield.
The 387th Bombardment Group
(Medium) was one of eight U.S. Army Air Force B-26 equipped medium bomber
groups deployed in the European Theater of Operations during World War
II. Known as the "Tiger-Striped Marauders" or "Tiger Tails" because of
the distinctive diagonal yellow and black stripes painted on the tails
of its aircraft, the group was comprised of four tactical squadrons: the
556th, 557th, 558th and 559th Bombardment Squadrons, Medium.
I took the time to give a quick service to the Parish, shame only Dan was there to hear it!
 |
| The two churches |
|
We cross Beech Road and across the path opposite and again into more farmland.
We approach Mount House where in the 18th century a windmill stood. That probably explains how Windmill farm beyond got its name.
 |
| Windmill Farm |
We cross Dukes lane and onto a footpath opposite.
 |
| Windmill Farm |
We now walk along Green Lanes. The remnants of a once vast network of minor roads dating back to Saxon times and beyond. Essex has nearly 500 miles of green lanes, more than any other county except Dorset. A valuable refuge for wildlife and their hedgerows and banks often harbour rare plants including orchids.
We now exit out onto the A414 and back to the car at Peppers Green. The website says a 8 mile walk, but my app states 10.5 , so who knows!
